Page:Labour - The Divine Command, 1890.djvu/71

Rh Is it because you cannot, or that you will not do this? Tell me sincerely.

43. Labor for bread is a sacred duty for each of us, and we should not make excuses to avoid it. The more a man is educated, the more he owes the example of labor, neither pretending to discover obstacles to it, nor abandoning it altogether.

44. Ought I to seek theological proofs because I desire your salvation? No, but because only that theology offers good reasons in favor of labor; and because, also, people of my class believe firmly in God, in a future life, and in the Holy Scriptures. When they hear these words they will eagerly grasp this, and all other kinds of labor, like those who are dying of hunger and thirst.

45. Then the dark night will become to them as the bright day, the passing storm will reveal a serene sky, cold will become warmth, and old age will blossom into a flourishing youth.

Therefore I draw from the Holy Scriptures the arguments therein contained, but I do not address them to you.

Who will read these articles to the people? You have not the right to do so. Must you persuade the laborers themselves to read them? That is impossible, for in so doing you will commit a grave error.

46. As the proverb says, "we have not every day a feast," but on the contrary it is always Lent. We should always instruct others to be